Lon Bowen Simmons

portrait
Contents

Personal and Family Information

Lon was born on 1 Feb 1895 in Tupelo, Jackson County, Arkansas, the son of Benjamin Fletcher Simmons and Lucy James Rotenberry.

He died on 12 Nov 1963 in Tupelo, Jackson County, Arkansas.

His wife was Dollie Gertrude Bleakley, who he married on 2 NOV 1919 in Jackson County, Arkansas. Their six known children were Geraldine Loraine (1921-2005), Jamie Edwina (1924-1990), Mary Ann (1930-1987), Virginia Lou (1932-1982), Lucy Faye (1934-1984) and Lon Bleakley (1944-?).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)


 

Lon Bowen Simmons
(1895-1963)

 

Benjamin Fletcher Simmons
(1860-1939)

 

Holman Felix Simmons
(1824-1893)

 

Holman Freeman Simmons
(1798-<1870)

+
   

Sarah Eliza Hawkins Burns
(1800->1870)

+
   

Theodora Mary Saxon
(1834-c1917)

 

Benjamin Wadsworth Saxon
(1798-1861)

+
   

Mary Collingsworth Terry
(1812-<1875)

+
   

Lucy James Rotenberry
(1863-1900)

 

James A Rotenberry
(1838-c1866)

 

Bowen Geoff Rotenberry
(1811-<1860)

 
   

Mary A Winsett
(1814-1894)

+
   

Cornelia Jane McGuire
(1838-1877)

 

William B McGuire
(1812-1866)

 
   

Martha Peace
(c1822-<1847)

 

Events

EventDateDetailsSourceMultimediaNotes
Birth1 FEB 1895
Place: Tupelo, Jackson County, Arkansas
Death12 NOV 1963
Place: Tupelo, Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 68y, 9m, 11d
Cause: lung cancer related to WWI gas injury
Census1 JUN 1900
Place: Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 5
Address: Breckenridge Twp, dwelling 8, family 8 with father, grandmother, 6 siblings and 3 cousins
Census 1900 Arkansas, Jackson County, Breckenridge,ED 53 Union ED 61
Source: Census 1900 Arkansas, Jackson County, Breckenridge,ED 53 Union ED 61
Publisher: Twelfth Census of the US

Census-1900-Arkansas, Jackson,Breckridge A
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Census-1900-Arkansas, Jackson,Breckridge B
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Census22 APR 1910
Place: Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 15 b Ark
Address: Breckenridge township, dwelling 109, family 113 with father and stepmother / aunt
Agency: census 1910 Ark
Census 1910 Arkansas, Jackson Cty Breckendridge ED 63 and Union ED 73
Source: Census 1910 Arkansas, Jackson Cty Breckendridge ED 63 and Union ED 73
Publisher: US Department of Commerence

Census14 JAN 1920
Place: Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 24 born Ark
Address: with Dollie, his father and stepmother ED 18 farm, dwelling 25, family 26
Agency: 1920 census Ark
Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp
Source: Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp
Date: JAN 1920
Publisher: US Deptartment of Commerence

Census2 APR 1930
Place: Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 35
Address: Breckenridge West, dwelling 2, family 2 with wife and 3 daughters
Agency: 1930 census Ark
Census 1930 Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Tupelo, Breckenridge Twp ED 34 -6 and 34 -8
Source: Census 1930 Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Tupelo, Breckenridge Twp ED 34 -6 and 34 -8

BurialNOV 1963
Place: Jackson County, Arkansas
Age: 68y, 9m, 11d
Address: N35° 30.221’ W91° 13.844’ Sand Hill Cemetery Find A Grave Memorial# 68967161
Agency: Tomb stone- A Bowie 16feb00
Cemeteries -Jackson County Arkansas
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Grav-SimLon
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Other EventABT 1918
Place: France
Type: Military Service
Address: Cpc Co E, 154 Inf, 39 Div WW I PH sailed from Hoboken NJ, June 7, 1918 as PVT 1/c #1590722
Simmons,Lon-Letter from WWI
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Simmons,Lon Missing
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Simmons,Lon wounded
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Letter-Simmons,Lon to sister Bowie
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See Note 3
See Note 4

Multimedia

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Lon and Doll...
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Gran, Miss J...
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Peabody Scho...
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Bio-SimmonsB...
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Lon & Dollie...
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Lon & Dollie...
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DeathCert-Be...

Notes

Note 1

Lon was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in WWI.

He only talked about his war experiences once with son Lon Blake, so the story is sketchy. He served in France near the border with Germany and Belgium. His unit was specialized and worked behind the lines blowing up bridges and were ambused and attacked with mustard gas. Lon was shot thru the side, listed as missing in action and presumed dead, but was actually captured and escaped after about two weeks.

Because of the gas exposure, his lungs gave him trouble the rest of his life. He died of cancer.

Lon and Felix fished together a lot in later years.

When Lon Blake was young he was walking with Father Lon and a black hired hand along the street in Tupelo near Bowen's? store. A man who was sitting on the spitting and whittling bench stuck his leg out and tripped the hired hand. Lon immediately swung a left upper cut which knocked him over the bench. Lon threatened to kill the man if he ever bother the hired hand again.

Another strong memory is that Lon was an avid quail hunter and dog trainer. He trained setters and pointers for himself and for people from all over the state. He was excellant shot with his shotgun and at times would bring home more quail than shells fired. Lon Blake remembers following his father thru the fields when he was very young, maybe 5 to 7 years old, well before he was allow to hunt.

son Lon Blake on facebook 11/11/2019 — BELLEAU WOOD

On every Veterans Day, and many days in between, I think of my dad. Born in 1895, in 1918 he found himself in the Army/Marines in World War 1, stationed in France.The US had determined that many thousands of German soldiers were hiding in Belleau Woods in France. If they were allowed to stay there, nothing could be done to block the German Army from marching into Paris. The decision was made to send US Marines after them and do it with no troops from other countries.

The battle started in the first week of June, 1918 and lasted 3 weeks. It was considered the most epic battle of WW1. The US prevailed and stopped the German advance. However it came at a great cost with the US suffering 10,000 casualties.

When I was 12 I saw my dad getting dressed and noticed a large scar on his lower right abdomen. I asked him what it was. There was a long pause, tears came into eyes. He turned around and pointed to another scar opposite on his back. He said I’m going to tell you this story one time and I never want to talk about it again.

The story was horrific. He was part of a large group of troops blowing up bridges to prevent German troops from escaping. One night when they were sleeping they were attacked by German troops. He was shot through the side and, before he could get to his gas mask, he got a large dose of mustard gas. He played dead. He said he could see bodies close to one another for a quarter mile. There were more events.

Realizing the effect on him, I knew we could never discuss this again and we never did. Edgar Lee Masters, in his poem SILENCE, talks about the silence of the soldier who handle the horror of war by blocking it in their mind.

However, every Veteran’s Day I can still see him and hear him tell this story

Note 2

Lon Bowen, age 83 is with Uncle Robert and Margery Simmons in 1930 census. probably namesake?

Facebook Feb 2012:

Jim Simmons ‎@Arthur. I said in one of the posts above that Lon moved in the "late" 40's. I meant "early" 40's. The mind does play tricks in our old age. I remember when they lived there the little girls had a tricycle. They had page-boy haircuts and their hair was the same color as mine. We called it white back then, but now we call it platinum blonde. After they moved, the Clyde Henderson family moved into that house. The Overcup school house was on the south side of the road just a little west of there.

June Jackson Simmons We used to say it was called Simmons switch because the girls switched from one Simmons to another. Lol. Back in the day?

Jim Simmons On your map. When I was born, and growing up, Lon and Dollie lived on the west side of hiway 17 right on the Jackson county side of the Jackson/Woodruff county line. They moved south of Tupelo where you have them marked sometimes in the late 40's.

When I was a kid, we used to go pick up pecans in the orchard over at the place you marked Ben and Lula's. I think Lula still lived there then.18 hours ago · Like

Jim Simmons Another interesting thing I remember about Ben. When I was about 4 or 5, I was walking down the county road in front of our house and old Ben came up behind me and hooked my ankle with his cane. At that time we lived just south of his house at the place known as "The Big Barn". My dad was the farm foreman for Alcorn Ferguson.

Note 3

Lon was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in WWI.

He only talked about his war experiences once with son Lon Blake, so the story is sketchy. He served in France near the border with Germany and Belgium. His unit was specialized and worked behind the lines blowing up bridges and were ambused and attacked with mustard gas. Lon was shot thru the side, listed as missing in action and presumed dead, but was actually captured and escaped after about two weeks.

Because of the gas exposure, his lungs gave him trouble the rest of his life. He died of cancer.

Lon Memorial Day 2020

BELLEAU WOOD

My father was born in 1895. I arrived in 1944, the only boy after 7 girls, two of whom died in infancy, and 10 years after my youngest sister. I barely made it here. I was about 12 when he came into the bedroom after getting out of the bath tub. I noticed a scar on his lower right abdomen.

What is that?

He paused, his eyes filled with tears and he turned to show a scar on his back that was the exit hole for the bullet. He said I’m going to tell you this story one time and I never want to talk about it again.

In 1918 he found himself in a new branch of the service called the Marine Corps and was stationed in France. The allies determined they must control the roads and bridges in a 200 acre forest called Belleau Wood. Otherwise the Germans had a clear road to Paris, 53 miles away. This was the first major battle of World War 1 and came at a great loss of US soldiers. The battle began on June 1, 1918, and ended on June 26.

His story was horrific. To get into the woods they had to go through a wheat field. 1000 soldiers were killed. He was with a group blowing up bridges. He was asleep one night and the Germans staged a surprise attack. He was shot through the side and took a large dose of mustard gas before he could get his gas mask on. His lungs bothered him the rest of his life.

I knew we could never talk about this again and we never did. All of us know combat soldiers who suffer from PTSD. Fortunately I never saw that in my dad. As John Steinbeck points out in East of Eden: A soldier is the most tested, the most tested of all. Our training tells us that killing is the greatest sin of all. Then we are told to go out and kill as many as we can of a certain kind of our brothers and we will reward you for it because it is a violation of our earlier training.

Note 4

Draft Registration Card June 5, 1917 at Tupelo Ark

Tall, medium build, D blue eyes, D brown hair

Lon B Simmons age 22

DOB Feb 1, 1895 at Tupelo Ark

Occupation Farming at Tupelo Ark

single, caucasion

Sources

  1. Census 1900 Arkansas, Jackson County, Breckenridge,ED 53 Union ED 61
    Source: Census 1900 Arkansas, Jackson County, Breckenridge,ED 53 Union ED 61
    Publisher: Twelfth Census of the US
  2. Census 1910 Arkansas, Jackson Cty Breckendridge ED 63 and Union ED 73
    Source: Census 1910 Arkansas, Jackson Cty Breckendridge ED 63 and Union ED 73
    Publisher: US Department of Commerence
  3. Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp
    Source: Census 1920 Arkansas, Jackson County , ED 71 Newport, ED 181 Breckendridge Twp
    Date: JAN 1920
    Publisher: US Deptartment of Commerence
  4. Census 1930 Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Tupelo, Breckenridge Twp ED 34 -6 and 34 -8
    Source: Census 1930 Arkansas, Jackson Cty, Tupelo, Breckenridge Twp ED 34 -6 and 34 -8